Firearm



FIREARM Filed oct. 5,1, 1940 5 Sheeigs-Sheet 1 HMH ,ww u .mw NNMN rim MN.mm/mw mw Aug. 22, 1944. c. c. LooMls FIREARM Filed Oct. 5l, 1940v 3Sheets-Sheet 2 c* c. Loomis' 2,356,491

FIREARM Filed Oct. 31, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Aug. 22, 1944.

@may/brd C lNVENTOR ATTORNE Gx S Patented ug. 22, 1944 NHTED' STATESFIREARM Crawford C. Loomis, Ilion, N. Y., assignor to Rem ington ArmsCompany, Inc., a corporation of Delaware 3 Claims.

This invention relates to firearms and particularly those of the typewherein the energy of the explosion of cartridges of varying lengths orenergy and power is used to perform the operations incident to reloadingthe firearm in preparation for the next iiring. The usual rearm employsa chamber which is iixed relative to the barrel. Patent No. 2,090,656,issued August 24, 1937, discloses a movable vibrator which is used toinitiate the operations in an autoloading firearm wherein the energy ofthe recoiling parts, after movement by explosion of the cartridge, isimparted to springs, which serve to close the bolt at the appropriatetime. The inertia of the parts and strength of the springs must be suchthat the explosion of the cartridge will perform the desired functions.In the application of Williams, Serial No. 308,929, led December 13,1939, now Patent No. 2,336,146, dated Dec. 7, 19.43, there is discloseda gun which will operate with cartridges of varying lengths or energyand power. The present invention comprises improvements that might beused on such a gun, if desired, although it is to be distinctlyunderstood that said improvements are not necessarily limited thereto.The invention herein described may be applied to any type of firearm,including, for example, rifles, Shotguns, machine guns, hand guns, etc.,these merely being illustrative of the` invention. Theseandother objectswill appear in the following description and drawings, which are merelyillustrative.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional elevation with the'action open and acartridge ready to be carried into the chamber by the bolt on theclosing motion thereof.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional elevation with the action closed, along cartridge being shown in the chamber.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional elevation showing a short shell in thechamber immediately after it has been red, the actuator in this instancebeing at the limit of its relative motion.

Fig. 4' is similar to Fig. 3 with the exception that a long' shell isshown in the chamber.

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken at line 5 5 of Fig. 1'.

Fig; 6l is a crossY sectional view taken at line 9 5 ofA Fig. 2.

Fig. '7k is a cross sectional' view taken at line 1*? of Fig. 2.

Fig. 8- is an end view of the actuator.

Fig. 9 is a vertical side View of the actuator.

Fig. 19 is a fragmentary sectional'plan view of a cartridge engaged bythe cartridge retainer shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 1l is a cross-sectionalV View on the line Ill-Hl of Fig. 12, themagazine follower being omitted for greaterclearness.

si'ons on the face of'plug 33" to hold the plus y Fig. 12 is afragmentary sectional elevation of a modification of the firearm of Fig.1, showing the action open and the feeding means in position to hold acartridge for feeding into 'the chamber.

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary sectional View taken at line |3-i3 of Fig. 12.

Fig. 14 is a plan View of the strip of metal that may be used to formthe trigger guard.

Fig. 15 is a perspective view of the formed trigger guard before it isplacedv upon the gun.

Fig. 16 is a fragmentary View showing the several relative positions ofthe bolt, cartridge lifter and elevator as the bolt moves rearwardly.

Fig 1'7 is a fragmentary sectional plan View of the bolt showing acartridge case engaged by extractors which are a modification of thoseshown in Fig. 11.

Fig. 18 is a sectionalv View taken at line I8|8 of Fig. 15.

The invention, in general, provides a, means for using the same gun tore either short or long shells, or shells of varying energy, the shortcartridges generally being less. powerful and therefore not capable ofdelivering su'icient energy to the bolt or other working parts. of thegun when the springs and parts are designed for operation with the longor more powerful cartridges. It is to be distinctly understood that theinvention is not limited to .22 caliber cartridges nor to the specificlengths indicated, although it will be describedl in conjunction withsuch caliber, but may be applied to. c'liiferentv calibers and differentlengths and types of cartridges.

An actuator is provided which may be supported in an enlarged bore orother suitable means at the breech end of'the'barrel. The actuator maybe made of such a length that the long cartridges are longer than thechamber of the actuator plus the relative movement thereof., and theother cartridges to be used therewith are shorter than those justdefined.

In Fig. 1, a barrel 20 is threadedly engaged vat 2l Ywith a receiver 22.The bolt 23 is reciprocable or slidingiy mounted within the receiver. Astriker 231s carried in a suitable aperture inthe bolt 23. Said strikerhas a head 29 (Fig. 2)y that is engaged by the striker spring guidemeans 30.

The striker spring 3l acts upon the enlargement.

of the guide means 3U, which inv turn contacts head 29, thereby urgingthe striker to firing position. The opposite end of the spring. 3l abutsthe Ypin 32 located within the receiver plug-.332

' The receiver plug 33 may be removably connectedbymeans of screw thread34 to the receiver 22;

A springv arm |98. may be fastened to receiver 2-24 by means of screw|99; A projection. Il. on the end'` of'sa'id. spring arm cooperates'withdepresof the recoil spring 31 abuts the shoulder 39 of y Y the bolt 23.

Trigger and sea1` The striker 28 has a sear notch 40 which may beengaged by the pivoted sear 4|. The sear 4| is pvoted on pin 42 and hasa spring 43 serving to rotate the sear to effective position. The spring43 is carried in a hollow bushing 44,'whlch is threadedly engaged withthe receiver 22. A lip 45,',on the bushing serves to engage theprojection 46l on the pivoted sear 4| and limit the upward movement ofthe sear. The projection 41 of sear 4| may be engaged by the notch 48 ofthe pivoted arm or connector 49this arm being pivoted as at 50 on thetrigger 5|, which is pivoted at 80 to the receiver.v A spring 52 servesto rotate the arm 49 in ar counter-clockwise direction (Figs. 1 and 2).Y In Fig. 1, the connector 49 is shown as it has been rotated in aclockwise direction by retraction of the boltl 23.

In Fig. 2, the projection 41 is shown engaged in the notch 48 of the arm49 and the sear notch 48 engaged by the sear 4| in cocked position. Ifthe trigger be pulled, the pivoted connector 49 will vmove downwardly,thereby rotating the sear4| so as to disengage it from the notch 40 ofthe striker 28.l This Will allow the cocked striker spring to move thestriker to fired position. A trigger spring 53 (Fig. 1) and plunger 54may be employed in the customary fashion to return the trigger to normalposition. Backward or 'forward movement of the bolt 23 away from thebarrel will cause engagement of the tip 8| of the lever 49 and rotate 49in a clockwise direction (Figs. 1 and 2) and disengage the projection 41of sear 4|l from the notch 48 of lever 49. This will allow the searspring 43 to rotate the sear 4| in a counter-clockwise direction ortoward the effective position so that, as the bolt moves forward to itsclosed position, the sear notch 49 will engage the sear 4|. Theprojection 41, however,

will not engage with notch 48 until they are aligned, which does notoccur until the pull upon the trigger has been released. In this manner,the gun will not fire a second time until the trigger is released andpulled again. In order to replace the bolt in the gun after it has beenremoved, it is desirable to provide means to remove the lever 49 fromthe path of the bolt. For this purpose, a projection 36 (Fig. 2) isprovided which will engage portion 58 of the receiver when the triggeris pulled'beyond the normal sear releasing position. The normal searreleasing position is approximately as shown in the dotted lines at |aof Fig'. 2. When the trigger is pulled beyond this, say, for example, to5|b, the projection 36 will engage 58 and rotate the arm 49 about itspivot 50, thereby removing it from the path of the bolt.

. Trigger safety the position shown in Fig. 2, the safety is released Iandthe trigger may be pulled. When the safety is turned to thepositionshown by the dotted 2,090,656, a vibrator is employed to providethe initial movement of the recoil parts as the car- 'tridge is fired.In accordance with the present fired and the projectile is someplacewithin the invention, a chambered actuator 82 is employed which may belocated within the enlarged bore 83 (Fig. 1) of the barrel. The actuator82 has an internal bore 84, which serves as a chamber or a portion ofthe'chamber into which the cartridge is inserted. Figs. 8 and 9 show anenlarged detailed Aview of the actuator. The actuator has an enlargeddiameter 85.and a smaller portion 86. Portion .86 ts the enlarged bore83 of the barrel. Ears 81 and 88 are provided to guide and limit therotation 0f the l.actuator and to hold the same in position, suitableslots or clearance being provided in the bolt 23 to receive the ears 81and 88. The ear 88 may also be held between the upstanding portions ofthe cartridge feed box. The bore into which portion 85 of the actuatorts may have a similar shape so as to assist in positioning the actuator.'Ihe means for limiting the rearward motion of the actuator will bedescribed presently. The forward movement of the actuator 82 is limitedby the length of the enlarged bore 83 of the barrel 20. It is evidentthat the pressure of the bolt need not be exerted directly against theactuator when in the closed position, as it may be transmitted theretothrough the cartridge itself.

In Fig. 4, a long cartridge 91 has just been bore or has just left themuzzle of the gun. The actuator 82 has moved to the rearward limit ofits motion due to recoil energy when the cartridge is fired, and thebolt. 23 has had its recoiling action initiated, starting to compressthe recoil easy access and removal.there)of`.

spring 31. The cartridge case when red expands and tightly grips thewalls of the chambered actuator so that force is exerted rearwardlythereon, thereby moving the actuator to the rear under the force of thegases in the barrel. The portion of the case within the barrel slidestherein. It is to be noted that the cartridge powder; case 91 stillbridges the joint 98 between thea barrel 28 and actuator 83, so that thepowder'- gasesare sealed from said joint and do not affect, the gascontact area of the actuator.

In Fig. 3 is shown a powder case 99 of a cabtridge that is shorter thanthe chamber or n. ternal bore 84 depicted just after having beeni red,the actuator 82 having moved to the rearward limit of its movement. Itis to be note@ that, as the cartridge case 99 is shorter than the.chamber or internal bore 84 of the actuator, that; the" joint |86between the barrel 20 and the, actuator 82 will be subjected to theforce of powder gasesl moving the projectile through the barrel. Forthis reason, therefore, the gas con.. tact area ofthe actuator isaffected by the pressure of the powder gases which, in conjunctionwiththe recoil energy, moves the actuator backwardly, thereby initiatingthe movement of the recoiling parts. Rearward movement of the actuatoris limited vby engagement of a portion of surface 98 of the actuatorwith the upstanding portion of the cartridge feed box,`which is integralwith the receiver closing ller block 68. In this Way, a simple means isprovided to positime, to allow tiontheactuator and, at the sameG'artridge feeding means A tubular magazine 59 is carried in thereceiver closing ller block 66. The tubular. magazine 59r isof theconventional type having a spring (not shown) and follower |01 to pushthe column. ofi cartridges rearwardly therein. A cartridge ele.- vator601s pivoted on pin 42 and has an upstanding. arm 64 which cooperateswith the continuousl feed box. The. cartridge feed box is an integral.

part of the receiver closing ller block.. There is also a cartridgeretainer at the top ofthe. feed box defined by the inturned lips 90 and.91|. (Fig. 5). As the bolt moves rearwardly,` as shown in Fig, l, the.continuous cam 65. will start to oscillate the elevator 66 in aclockwi'sedirection. This willV start the movement of lifter 6| throughthe spring. 62. As soon as suicient force is exerted on spring 62. bythe elevator 66 to force theA cartridge past the auxiliary retainerspring 1|, the cartridge will start to move upwardly until the rimthereof engages the inturned lips 90 and 9| of the cartridge retainer ofthe. cartridge feed. box. will compress the spring 62, because furthermovement upward oflifter 6| will be prevented.

As the bolt moves forward, it will engage the` rim 13'or base of thecartridge, as shown in Fig. l, and slide the cartridge forwardly untilthe rim thereof is opposite the openings 11- of the inturned lips, atwhich time the compressed spring. 62 will move the lifter 6| and thecartridge upwardly so that the cartridge may be readilyv moved into thechamber 811; As shown clearly in Fig.. 10, the spring or retainer 1| maybe held in position by the spring 15, which in turn. is

held in place on the cartridge. feedA box by the; screw 16, the ends ofthe retainer spring 1| being` heldV in the apertures 16 of the cartridgefeed4 box. The receiver closing filler block 66 isv held in position bythe bushing. 61, which is threadedly engaged in the receiver 22. Theupward. pressure. of this bushing serves to holdk the filler block 66firmly in position and to exert pressurev upwardly upon the barrel 20,thereby rmly holding the barrel 20 within thethreads 2| of the receiverv22. A suitable screw 69 may be engaged in the thread 68. of the bushing61 to hold the gun in position upon a suitable stock |06. The feed boxis assembled from the rear of the receiver before the other parts are inplace.l

Extractor mail` ejectm- The ejector |63 is made as Van integral part`ofthe cartridge feed box, which is a distinct advantage because theejector may be made suf-4 ciently strong, will not be subject to damage,and may be easily and more cheaply assembled and manufactured. Theextractors may take the form shown in Fig. 11 wherein the extractors 21|and24A are p ivoted on; pivots 25 and are urged into rim engagingposition by the springs 26 carried in the apertures 21 of the bolt 23.

In Fig. 12 is shown a modification of the rire- Further rearwardmovement of the bolt.

armof Figs. I! and In the f'o1lowingdescrip- V tion, many ofthe partsare similar-"tor Figsll andi. 2 and will not. bedescribed in. detail,except' geni erally for the differencesV from. the constructionV of'Figs. 1 and2.

|201 is the barrel which isbthreadedly engaged'. at 2| with the receiver|22`. A bolt |.23\s1ides. inA the receiver |22 andf has ai-recoilspring.: |31 surrounding a tubular guidev means. |351.. The; plug |33serves asthe abutment'. for the. guide:- |35=, lsaid guide having. theangle. of its surface; 226 which abuts surface. 221. so made. thatthei.engagement with the cone-shaped aperture: 2005 in plug |33 will beV onlyover a smally are'a-v and; allow comparatively free movement of theguide. |35 within said plugsc as to assureproper align-v ment of theparts. The recoil springk |31 abutsJ a splitU-shaped washer 262|, shownmorerclearly: in Fig. 13. Said split washer` is carried in' agroove.v202 near the end of theguide` |35. A triggerrll is pivoted at and has. atriggeru safety arm. |55 cooperating therewith. The pivotedl con'-nect'or or 'arm |49 performs the. same functionas# 49 of Figs. 1 andJ 2.The motion of |49 under" the urgence of spring 203.A is limited byexten..-y sion 228. Arm |49', which is preferably'astamp' ing, comprisesa laterally turnedportion 204` for engagement by the bolt moves.rearwardly The sear notch is` shown atl 265; lill i'sthe.-V sear whichis pivotedA at |42 andhas a bushing..l |64 limiting the upward movementof the sear'.'v In Fig. 12, the connector |49 is shown'. rotated;l aboutits pivot |50, whichy is beyond that nor-- mally resulting from themovement. of thev bolt..

i The receiver closing filler block |66 in thislm'odi cation is madeyslightly different thanin Figs. 1 and 2 inthat the cartridge passage2061 isin clined upwardlyand the follower 261 isso made that it will'properly function therein. The fol-AY lower 261 may have suitablerounded flutes 229i to'allow movement within the passage 266. Thecartridge elevator |60 is operated bythe continuous cam surface |65 ofthe bolt' |23, which' causes oscillation of-the lifter |6| through the"spring |62, both the.l lifter and elevator' being pivoted at |42. Thecartridge feed box has ini-- turned lips at 268, similar to that ofFi'gsz 1%* and 2, with an 'integral ejector 209 and apassage- Way |11through the lips. It is to be noted that?= because it is n'otnecessaryto.- lift the cartridge as far inFi'g. l2 asin Figs. 1 and 2,the.continuous.A cam surface |65 isdesigned. according-'1y'. Ati |63 islocated a stop, limiting the relative move"-l ment of |60 and |6-I.Asuitab-le spacer and caiil tridge abutment is located at 2101, whichservesi to limit the rearward movement of the cartridges' and also tospace the walls of the feed box. Thelv operation of thiscartridge vfeedbox is generally similar to that of- Figs. 1 and 2,' with the exceptionthat the' auxiliary cartridge retainerv has been eliminated.

Referring particularly to Fig. 16, the detailed? movements of thecartridge lifter and cartridge'l elevator will be described. Y It is tobe-underst'oodf that the descriptionA of Fig; 16 also applies gener'ally to the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with the' exceptionof thedifferent retainer and means for' feeding the cartridge to the lifter.The full lines", showing the position of cartridge elevator |60 andf`cartridge lifter' |6| together with the continuous cam surface |65,indicate the positionY of 'these' partsfwhen-th'efbolt |2-'3- is closed;Wheniny thisr position, a cartridge 230 has been moved backwardlythrough the passageway 206 under the inuence of the spring and followerof the tubular magazine until the rim of cartridge 230 contacts the stop2I0. A's the bolt I 23,is moved rearwardly and into positionrA,therparts will assume the position shown bythe Vlight dash-dot lines,which also serve to indicatethe positionv of thecam |65. VThe cartridge230 at this point is justcontacted by the topr of the lifter 6|, and thespring |62 has no, tension exerted thereon. Further movement of the boltto position B will c ause the parts to assume the positions indicated bythe dotted lines. At this point, the cartridge 2301s lifted to theposition 230--B by the cartridge lifter I6| through spring |62 andcartridge-elevator |60. Nocompression of the spring has taken place atthis point, because the rim of the cartridge 230 has not contacted theinturned lips of the cartridge retainer. The next cartridge in thetubularmagazine is moved rearwardly by the .magazine spring until therim thereof contacts the front arcuatel face 23| (similar to |02 ofFigs. `1 and 2) of cartridge elevator |60. As the .bolt moves to itsrearward position, as indicated by the heavier dash-dot lines,whereinthe arm |64 is at C, the cartridge will be now in the positionshown at 230-C. In this position.. the lrim thereof is held from upwardmovement by the inturned lips of the cartridge feed box. The cartridgelifter |6| is therefore arrested in its upward movement so that thecartridge elevator |60, which has been moved further, has compressed thespring |62. The arm |64 of the cartridge elevator |60 has taken thepositions IS4-A, |64-B and |64-C respectively during this movement.Then, as the bolt moves forward, as ,has been previously explained, itwill Contact the cartridge 230-C and move it forward until the rimthereof is opposite the openings I11 of the cartridge retainer,whereupon the spring |62 will move the cartridge lifter |6| upwardly andproperly align the cartridge so that it may be moved into the chamber.It may be seen that the continuous cam surface |65 causes a continuousand smooth movement of the cartridge elevator |60 as the bolt moves tothe rear and that the cartridge lifter |6| has an upward Ymovement thatresults in compression of the spring |62.

vThe receiver closing filler block and integral cartridge-feed box areheld in position in a manner similar to that of Fig. 1, with theexception that an aperture 2|I is provided at the end of the bushing |61so that the magazine tube retaining screw |10 may be reached through theopening in the bushing |61. A modified type of extractor is shown inFig. 17, wherein the extractors 2|2 and 2|3 are located inY suitableslots within the bolt |23. The springs 2 I4 and plungers 2| 5 4rotatethe extractors 2 I2 and 2|3 about their point of engagement 2|-6 withthe bolt. The

plungers 2 I 5 also, by their engagement with notch 2|1, serve to retainthe extractors in position in the bolt. 'Ihe triggerguardmay be madefrom a stamping of sheet metal. Asshown in Fig. 14. a` continuous stripof sheet metal may be cut to proper lengths, and then the screw hp1es2|a` aridv thertrigger guard is formed to its desired shapey which mayinclude suitable cross-sectional snaping, such as shown in iFig. 18,which is a section taken at the line |8|8 of Fig. 15. As may be seen,when the trigger guard is so bent. the projection 22| will cooperatewith aperture 222 to rigidly hold the portion 223 from side movement.

'When the trigger guard is placed in position on the gun by means ofscrews 224 and'225, the projection 22| will be forcedrinto aperture 222and rigidly position the portions of the trigger guard.

It is apparent that the invention is not limited to use in a shoulderrifle as shown or with the particular typeof cartridge illustrated, butmay be used in any type of firearm and with cartridges of varyinglengths, powers and energies. The improvements herein are also notlimited to use on the particular gun shown, but may be used on otherthan autoloading weapons. A gun which is easy to manufacture andassemble has been provided. The embodiments of the invention as hereindescribed are to be understood as illustrative only, said inventionbeing susceptible to embodiments in many forms, all falling within thescope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an autoloading firearm: a barrel; a tubular cartridge magazinelocated adjacent said barrel; a receiver; a breech block therefor; achamberedvactuator interposed between the barrel and the breech block,said breech block operatively y engaging said actuator when in closedposition;

a cartridge feed box removably mounted in said receiver and having anupstanding portion 1ocated within the receiver and adjacent the rear endof the barrel, said upstanding portion serving asa rearward stop forsaid chambered actuator, said cartridge feed box having a passagetherethrough for the reception of cartridges from said tubular magazine;and means to hold said cartridge feed box in assembled position in saidreceiver. Y v

2.. In an autoloading firearm: a. barrel; a tubular cartridge magazinelocated adjacent said barrel; a receiver; a breech block therefor; achambered actuator interposed between the barrel and f the breech block,said breech block operatively engaging said actuator when in closedposition; a receiver closing filler block in the receiver below thebarrel, and serving as a support for said tubular magazine, saidreceiver closing block having a cartridge feed box integral therewith,said feed box having an upstanding portion located within the receiverand adjacent the rear end vof the barrel, said upstanding portionserving as a rearward stop for said chambered actuator, said cartridgefeed-box having a passage therethrough for the reception and delivery ofcartridges from said tubular magazine.

3. In an autoloading firearm; a receiver; a barrel carried by said.receiver; a breech block therefor; a chambered actuator interposedbetween the barrel and the breech block, said breech block operativelyengaging said actuator when in closed position; a cartridge feed boxremovably mounted in said receiver, said feed box having an upstandingportion located within the'receiver and adjacent the rear end of thebarrel, said upstanding portion serving as a rearward stop for saidchambered actuator, said feed box contacting the barrel; and means tohold said feed box in assembled position in said receiver and to lockthe barrel in place.

CRAWFORD C. LOOMIS.

. CERTIFICATE oF CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,556,1491. August 22, 19th.

CRAWFORD C LOOMIS It is hereby certified that error appears in theprinted specification of the above numbered patent requiring Correctionas follows: Page 2, seoond Column, line 6, before "2,090,656" insert--In a gun of the type dis- Closed in Patent No.f; Cage 5, first column,line Ml., after "shownl insert more-; andl second column, line 2 8,after "bolt" insert as the bolt; and that the said Letters Patent shouldbe read with this Correotion therein that the same may Conform to therecord of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 19th da;r of December, A. D. 19ML.,

Leslie Frazer (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

. CERTIFICATE 0F CORRECMON. Patent No. 2,556,191. August 22, 19m.

' CRAwFoRD C. Looms.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specificationof the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2,seoond column, line 6, before "2,090,656" insert --In a gun of the typedisclosed in Patent No.,; page 5, first column, line lill, after "shovvninsert --Ilnore--g and second column, line 2 8, after "bolt" insert --asthe bolt; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with thiscorreotion therein that the same may conform to the record of the oasein the Patent Office. v l

Signed and sealed this 19th day of December, A. D. 19M-L.

Leslie Frazer (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents

